Terry of the Bangkok Post
What's black and white and read all over?
To promote learning via newspapers, Terry Fredrickson has turned to the technology that many children love most – the Internet.
On Reading
Is the golden age of reading truly over?
Now we have new communications mediums that, firstly, are more naturally intriguing to the human brain – they offer images, moving, real-time pictures, and sound all at the same time.
Ignorance or arrogance?
Students and their lack of proper test preparation
Teachers who have taught TOEFL or IELTS courses can attest that for non-native speakers, doing well on these tests translates into a lot of hard work. Apart from becoming proficient in English, students will also need to fine-tune their test-taking skills and build up their endurance and concentration, as these tests usually take about four hours to complete.
Ways to improve Thai education
This should be the first government priority
So how can Thailand improve its education? In a nutshell: train the trainers, put fewer students together, motivate them better, hire the right foreign educators to help this bring about, and involve parents more.
How to motivate students
Keys to improving language learning
Motivation can either be internal or external. Students who are internally motivated usually learn English because they want to, because they enjoy learning or because they want to achieve a certain goal, not because they have to. Examples of personal goals could be pursuing a promotion at work or planning to enrol in a foreign university’s graduate programme.
A very bad day indeed
Today was one of the most unpleasant in my four years plus of teaching
My problem was discipline. You see, I've been teaching for over four years and until today I had only received two complaints.
The burden of being fun
Why many ESL environments are so nightmarish
At its very worst, teaching is the kind of job you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. When the students couldn’t care less about what you have to say, and are determined to just make fun of you, the ESL classroom can literally become a living hell.
A Thai student’s diary
What it feels like to be a Thai student studying English in school
A foreign teacher contacted ajarn wanting to share a diary that one of his English program students had written. Although the student is only a youngster, the diary is a very frank account of what it's like to study at a Thai school. Top work!
My friend he sick
Frequent Thai student mistakes (part two)
Communicating well in any language just takes some motivation, dedication and a lot of practice. Is this too much too ask to become a proficient speaker?
No magic bullets
Dave Patterson would most certainly like a word
Dave Patterson, who is a teacher at the Prince of Songkhla University in South Thailand, says it's about time Thai students took studying English seriously. And it's about time schools got serious about taking care of their students.
Featured Teachers
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Aleksandar
BA (1)
Serbian (male, 28 years old, native Serbian speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Mieder
Certificate (7), BSc (1)
South African (male, 34 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Carol
Certificate (1), BA (1)
Zambian (female, 29 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Robert
Certificate (3)
British (male, 38 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Jamie
Certificate (2)
British (male, 37 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Kum Oliver
BSc (1)
Cameroonian (male, 28 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Limunga
BA (1)
Cameroonian (female, 28 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Marie Dane
BEd (1)
Filipino (female, 27 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Rizelle
BA (1)
Filipino (female, 27 years old, native Cebuano speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Peter
BA (1)
British (male, 56 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
About Ajarn.com
Ajarn.com was started as a small hobby website in 1999 by Ian McNamara. It was a simple way for one Bangkok teacher to share his Thailand experiences and pass on advice. The website developed a loyal and enthusiastic following. In 2004, Ian handed over the reins to Phil Williams and 'Bangkok Phil' has run the ajarn website ever since.
Ajarn.com has grown enormously and is now the most popular TEFL site in Thailand - possibly even South East Asia. Although best-known for its vibrant jobs page, Ajarn has a wealth of articles, blogs, features and help and advice. But one principle has always remained at Ajarn's core - to tell things like they are and to do it with a sense of humor. Thailand can be Heaven or Hell for an English teacher. It's always been Ajarn.com's duty to present both sides of the equation. Thanks for stopping by.
Friends of Ajarn
Fun Quiz
Find out how employable you are in Thailand as an English teacher. Is it a case of 'welcome aboard' or "Mom, I need you to send some money again"
Fancy teaching freelance?
How easy is it to cut out the middlemen and rake in the cash teach students at their own homes?
E-mailing for jobs
E-mailing potential employers in Thailand can be a very frustrating experience. Teacher Chris is on hand to give you some top tips.
The cost of living
How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.
The Region Guides
Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.
Renting an apartment?
Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.
Hi, I’m Tony Dabbs
I was a licensed life and health agent in the USA for many years and now I'm ajarn.com's health insurance expert.
